Chapter 53

Adalric let out a sigh. Children were such a handful, all the way from six years to sixty. Speaking of which, he hadn’t spoken to any of his ill mannered apprentices in a while. After his nikk returned he’d have to give one or two of them a visit.
“I’m back.” Meke trudged lazily up toward Adalric. “Only took a hundred years this time, they’re getting sloppy.”
“Perhaps a little, but you’d still be better off if you just let the spirits have their fun. Being rude has only ever made your trip longer.” Adalric grinned. “Now, why don’t we-”
“You just did it again.” Meke’s tail lowered and his ears twisted back. “You just thought of yourself as ‘Adalric,’ your name isn’t Adalric.”
“Oh, come now. Can’t you be a little more open about this? Adalric is the precious name my students gave me.”
“Yeah…” Meke pulled back and began to sulk. “…but Tokka is our name. We’re Tokka-meke, two parts of a whole.”
“I know, and both names are important to me. I just go by whichever one springs to mind first.” Tokka reached over to scratch Meke under the chin. “You really shouldn’t keep stuff like this to yourself. I know that it’s in your nature to be private, but there really isn’t any harm in opening your side of the link a little bit more. We’ve been together for more than twenty thousand years, do you really think there’s anything that can break us apart now?” Meke started to relax again. “Besides that, we still have thousands of years left together. You and I will be awake decades after the last apprentices of my apprentice’s apprentices have gone to sleep. My time with my students is limited – ” Tokka gestured toward the stars. “ – but you may very well be with me long enough to see if there’s magic on other worlds… Now come on, let’s go visit Sylvester and Erline while we wait for Thomas.”

A note from the author ninja:

Live long enough, and you start to look at the world a little differently.